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redgoldsparks · 2 years

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November Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon.

H is for Hawk written and read by Helen MacDonald

I listened to this as an audiobook in the author's voice and absolutely adored it. Its a memoir of grief, unfolding primarily in the one year after the death of the author's father. It is also a brief history of falconry in Britain, the story of a goshawk the author trained, and an examination of the legacy of TH White, British author, closeted homosexual, and amateur falconer who ruined a bird with his own obsessions and neuroses. Macdonald's descriptions of landscapes, weather patterns, and birds in flight are as lyrical and lovely as the recording of depression and social isolation are devastating. Highly recommend.

Animosity Vol 1: The Wake by Marguerite Bennett, Rafael De Latorre, Rob Schwager, Marshall Dillon, Juan Doe

One day, all of the animals of the world wake up to human level consciousness, and most of them turn to violence against their human oppressors. Humans reel in the aftermath of this complete overturn of the world as we've known it. A few animals stay loyal to their human families, and this story follow one of them- Sandor, an elderly bloodhound, who promises his 11 year old human Jess that he will keep her say and travel with her across the country to find a half brother she has never met. Fast paced and thought provoking, the first of a ongoing series.

PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han

As charming and fast paced as the first book in the series. This story unfolds more of Lara Jean's life, the sweeps of her emotions, her deep love of her family, an internship at a retirement home, and the tangled lines of old friendships and crushes. The writing in these books is so grounded and warm, it feels like a breath of fresh air compared to some of the YA I've struggled with in recent years.

A Pros and Cons List for Strong Feelings by Will Betke-Brunswick

I was given the opportunity to read this book ahead of its release! Here's the blurb I wrote for it: Life does not deliver a series of discrete events, but a tangle of overlapping experiences. The author was working on a mathematics degree, playing on a hockey team, and slowly coming out as trans and nonbinary when their mom was diagnosed with cancer. This book weaves memories from the author's childhood with scenes from the last few months of their mother's life into a tender story of acceptance, care, and love. The heavy moments are lightened by the portrayal of the family as penguins, with friends and strangers as a flock of other birds, but the story is deeply human.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, read by Cynthia Hopkins

This series introduces Eleanor West's Home For Wayward Children, a boarding school for children who, like Alice, fell into another world; and returned to find they were completely out of step with life back on home. Some of these children went to magical fairylands full of rainbows and rhymes. Others went to strict authoritarian worlds ruled by logic and law. Nancy went to the land of the dead, and spent a peaceful year learning the values of stillness, silence, and the whispers of ghosts. She hates Earth on her return and the pressures of her family to "just be normal." But she finds companionship and understanding at Eleanor West's school. Until, that is, a bloody murder shocks the little school community and fear and suspicion turn in Nancy's direction. This is a slim fairy tale of a book, not a murder mystery. I loved this unique take on portal fantasy and the magical boarding school genres. The story includes trans and asexual characters, which I appreciated, even though I found some of the dialogue around those identities a little chunky. I sped through the short audiobook in just a few days and plan to keep reading this series.

Boys Run The Riot vol 1 by Keito Gaku

High schooler Ryo knows that he's trans, but doesn't feel like he can tell anyone; it seems safer to repress this part of his identity. His school system requires gendered uniforms and Ryo hates wearing skirts, so tries to get away with wearing his PE track suit to school as often as possible. But he also fears standing out and the potential judgement of his peers. The only time Ryo feels like himself is after school when he roams the city in his own chosen street style, expressing his frustration and yearning through graffiti art. When Jin, a rough looking older boy who had to repeat a grade, joins Ryo's class, Ryo plans to steer clear of him. But then Ryo runs into Jin in a store and it turns out they share a taste in fashion and buried desire to break out of the molds society has built for them. Jin urges Ryo to start a fashion brand and tell his truth to the world at last. I was excited to try a manga series which centers a trans character, and which is also written by a trans author. This first book was a little shaky for me. The emotional beats felt clunky and rushed, and the antagonist boringly stereotypical. Nevertheless, I like the premise a lot, and will probably read at least one more volume to see if the writing smooths out a bit farther into the series.

Down Among The Sticks and Bones written and read by Seanan McGuire

An excellent second installment in the Wayward Children series. This one follows two characters we got to know in the first book, twins Jack and Jill, daughter of a pair of yuppie control freaks who didn't let their children make any of their own choices. No wonder a door opened for them, and let them escape into another world. It was a world of vampires, werewolves, and cursed sea monsters, but it was still better than what they'd left behind. I enjoyed this a lot, but was also interested from a writing perspective to think about how much territory it retread from information given in book one; and how successful it still felt despite that. It made me reflect on my own relation to ideas that feel "book worthy" and whether I could also be developing smaller thoughts into satisfying stories.

The Hand On The Wall by Maureen Johnson read by Kate Rudd

What an excellent conclusion to a three-book mystery arc! This one picks up right where the second one left off with Stevie, our anxious and brilliant teen detective, trying to fit together the pieces after a third death in as many months, with hints, rumors and uncertainty on every side. And oh how those pieces fit! I don't even want to say anything about the plot because to do so might spoil some of the events of the first two books, but I think this one is the best yet of the series and I am excited to see what comes next.

A Sentimental Education by Hannah McGregor

This is an essay collection I know I will return to again and again. Hannah McGregor, host of two of my favorite podcasts, Witch Please and Secret Feminist Agenda, tells the story of her own feminist education through six essays written in the first person, a deliberate act to carry over the voice she developed in podcasts into her writing. The first essay introduces a theme that recurs throughout of the uses and agendas of sentimental literature, especially books about white women caring deeply about things, in a way that can spark equal emotion in the reader, which has the potential to either, or both, stir political action or else prop up white supremacy. One of the major questions of the text is whether reading certain kinds of books, or reading in certain kinds of ways, can make the reader a better person- more empathetic, more motivated to strive for justice and equality. Caring about others is a feminist project, and McGregor questions where this care falls inside institutions like the university, who is able to ask for and receive care, who is able to give it or refuse giving it. McGregor asks these questions as a queer, fat, asexual, white university professor with a tenured position and constantly acknowledges her own position and also where her knowledge comes from. One of my favorite pieces is the many quotes woven through the text, as well as references to longer conversations I experienced in podcast form. I am so grateful for this book, and excited to annotate it on my second pass!

Slip by Marika McCoola and Aatmaja Pandya

Jade, a ceramic artist, is accepted into a prestigious summer camp for teen artists hoping to build their portfolios and win college scholarships. Three weeks before she is due to leave, her best friend Phoebe attempts suicide, and Jade isn't able to see Phoebe or speak to her before Jade has to leave for art camp. She is naturally distracted, not able to focus solely on her work because she's thinking so much about her friend. Then some of Jade's sketches and sculptures start to come to life, and Jade has to rethinking why she makes art, what she's trying to express, and who it is for. This is a beautifully illustrated and emotional coming of age story with a queer lead. The plot is quite simple but I was drawn in by the limited palate, dry bush line art, and the creative struggle.

Other Ever Afters by Melanie Gillman

I absolutely loved this collection of queer fairy tales. I'd read about half of them online (Melanie Gillman posts an original fairy tale comic every year in October, on 24 hour comic day) but it was a pleasure to see these familiar pieces presented in this new anthology. I also loved all of the new stories and the interwoven themes of belonging, self-naming, queer love, rebellion, and abolition of monarchy in fantasy settings. All of the art is done by colored pencil and the rich tones, smooth shading, and smart color palettes all please me right down to my artist's core.

#books #book reviews #comic book reviews #book recommendations #reading

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daydreamerdrew · 27 days

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Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

Captain America (2002) #27-32

These issues were published across June 2004 to October 2004. Issues #27-28 were the storyline “Requiem,” and issues #29-32 were the storyline “Super Patriot.” Issues #27-28 were written by Robert Morales, penciled by Eddie Campbell, inked by Stewart McKenny, and Brian Reber. Issues #29-32 were written by Robert Kirkman, penciled by Scot Eaton, inked by Drew Geraci, and colored by Rob Schwager. Issues #27-31 were 22 pages, and issue #32 was 23 pages.

Reading these issues was just to finish off this series; I didn’t care for any of it. This was my first time reading anything written by Robert Kirkman, most famous for The Walking Dead (2003) and Invincible (2003), and I was surprised that I found his work here to be so terrible. I will say that it impresses me that this book was followed up by Ed Brubaker’s long and well-regarded run writing Captain America.

In issue #27 Steve’s told by a civilian friend, while discussing 9/11, “It’ll probably take an entire new generation of New Yorkers to get over it.” Steve asks in response, “[W]hat generation got over the Holocaust?”

And after a presidential candidate is seemingly killed in a large terrorist attack, Tony tells Steve, “Every day, it’s always 9-11 somewhere,” which I don’t think is true.

Issue #28 introduces an alternate version of Isaiah Bradley. In the main continuity he was the first Captain America, but was badly mistreated by the U.S. government and has been severely limited by brain damage for decades. This other Isaiah was the President of the United States from 2005 to 2013. He explains, “Once I got the Super Serum, I tomcatted for years and gave up on settling down.” And, of Becky Barnes, “My Bucky didn’t die in the war… and he was always cleaning up after my indiscretions. Becky’s my blood kin, but it was Buck that adopted her- after both gave up on my ever finding time for being a proper father.” Bucky died stopping a terrorist during Isaiah’s presidential campaign, and Isaiah says, “I didn’t drop out of the election, and I was less available once I won.” Becky developed serious mental problems after that.

Diamondback is Steve’s love interest in “Super Patriot.” In the end it’s revealed that the Rachel that Steve’s been spending time with isn’t the real Diamondback, but only a “new, improved and advanced life model decoy.” It’s explained, “For all intents and purposes that is Diamondback. Her brain scan was downloaded in such a way that it’s a flawless reproduction. The problem is, they don’t even know they’re not the real thing. When you try to tell them what they are- they get a little dangerous.” This isn’t a new concept at all; Scorpio had an L.M.D. of Nick Fury exactly like that in the 70s. Steve watches, uncomfortable, as the Diamondback L.M.D. is taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. and begs for his help, but he doesn’t do or say anything in her defense. I thought that this was out of character for him. It specifically made me think of his defense of that Nick Fury L.M.D. in Secret Avengers (2010) #5, in which he cited his friendships with the original Human Torch and the Vision.

Captain America: What Price Glory? (2003) #1-4

These issues were all published in March 2003. All were written by Bruce Jones, penciled by Steve Rude, inked by Mike Royer, and colored by Chris Sotomayor. All were 22 pages.

I thought at first that the art style was clearly Jack Kirby-inspired, but at the same time I did recognize Steve Rube’s work from having read World’s Finest (1999) #1-3, which starred Batman and Superman, characters with no relation to Jack Kirby, so I’m not sure much had to be changed for that effect for this miniseries. Unfortunately, though I hoped this book would be a sort of different-company counterpart to it, I didn’t think the story of this series was nearly as strong as World’s Finest (1999)’s. I did previously enjoy another Captain America story written by Bruce Jones, an 8-page story set during WWII in the anthology Captain America: Red, White and Blue (2002).

There was a lot going on in this miniseries, the first issue in particular felt crammed. I really wasn’t into the themes of this book, about trust and how Steve relates to women, or at least how they were approached in this particular story. Nor was I into what the situations prompted as demonstrations of Steve’s characterization. The plot felt cheap. The artwork was great, and in particular I really liked the fight scenes, which aren’t what I normally am the most into. And I did also enjoy the dialogue in the fight scenes, too.

Captain America (2013) #1-10

These issues were published across November 2012 to August 2013. This was the storyline “Castaway in Dimension Z.” All were written by Rick Remember, and all but issue #9 was penciled by John Romita Jr. Issues #1-4 were inked by Klaus Janson. Issue #5 was inked by Tom Palmer and Scott Hanna. Issues #6 and #10 were inked by Tom Palmer, Klaus Janson, and Scott Hanna. Issues #7-8 were inked by Scott Hanna and Klaus Janson. And the breakdowns of issue #9 were drawn by John Romita Jr. and then were finished by Klaus Janson, Scott Hanna, and Tom Palmer. Issues #1-2 and #10 were 22 pages, issues #3 and #5-9 were 20 pages, and issue #4 was 21 pages.

I skimmed through the first issue of this series back when I finished Ed Brubaker’s run writing Captain America and decided I wasn’t interested that in this run. But now I’m reading it since I’m apparently jumping around Steve’s modern books, while also working my way through his Golden and Silver Age appearances in order. What I’ve previously read that’s written by Rick Remember are the “Descendants” and “Rise of the Descendants” storylines in Secret Avengers (2010), which I enjoyed and are the issues that got me to really pay attention to that book. And also, more relevant to this, he wrote Winter Soldier: The Bitter March (2014), which did a great job of emphasizing how important Steve is to Bucky, but failed to compel me in the other characters original to it.

I can’t see that I’ve read anything drawn by John Romita Jr. before. His art here wasn’t for me, but I do think it’s possible for his style to work better with another character and setting. The only thing I thought he was bad at drawing was children. And Klaus Janson’s name was immediately recognizable to me because he inked a lot of Sal Buscema’s pencils on The Defenders (1972) across 1974 to 1978. Looking up his other credits I see that he drew the “Gothic” storyline across Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #6-10, and he also inked The Incredible Hulk (1968) #227, which is a really significant issue to me because it’s the story where the Hulk finally goes to therapy.

Issue #1 opens with portraying Steve’s father as abusive when Steve was a child. I have yet to see that portrayed elsewhere. Mythos: Captain America (2008) #1 depicted Steve as particularly wanting to enlist in the regiment his father served in during WWI, during which he “took a bullet during the push for Soissons.” And Steve says, of his father, “I don’t remember much about him. He laughed a lot, I seem to recall, and smelled of applesauce. He died of influenza in 1926 at the age of thirty-three.” I prefer that more mundane portrayal of Steve’s father.

And in issue #1 Steve says, of Sharon having proposed to him, that it “caught me off-guard. In my day it was the man who asked.” I found this characterization surprising for him, because I would have thought Steve would be past those culture shock moments by now. But maybe he’s covering for a more personal hesitation. Steve then thinks that marriage “might not be so bad. Force me to have a life again. I sometimes forget how to be a normal person. I’ve been a soldier for so long… might be there’s no turning back.” This was also surprising to me because Steve is such a strong-willed person- I would think he would either really want to or really not want to get married, that he wouldn’t waffle like this. And the premise that Steve and Sharon are currently dating but them getting married would somehow drastically change Steve’s lifestyle confuses me.

“Castaway in Dimension Z” is about Steve being trapped in another dimension. In the beginning he escapes from Zola’s lab, along with Zola’s infant son, but then Steve finds himself in another world and he doesn’t know the way back to Zola’s kingdom, which is where the portal back to Earth is. Steve raises the boy as his son, naming him Ian, and they live together in that dystopian world for over a decade until they cross paths with Zola again. In the ensuing events Steve is able to turn Zola’s other child, his daughter Jet Black, over to his side. But Ian is brainwashed into hating Steve and joining Zola. And just as Steve is able to get through to his son, Ian is shot by Sharon. She’s confused by Steve saying that he’s been in that other world for years because from her perspective Steve’s only been gone for 30 minutes, and she thinks that Zola implanted false memories into Steve and Ian wasn’t really his son. In the end Sharon sacrifices herself to save Steve and Jet Black, who end up trapped back on Earth with no way back to Dimension Z and don’t know that Ian is really still alive there.

In issue #4 Steve thinks, “I never intended to raise this boy. But I’m glad to have saved him from Zola. Grateful to have had this time, to watch him grow- to train and teach him. To offer him a different path than the one Zola would have mapped. The boy is hot-tempered, sarcastic and brash. But he is also honest, loyal and tenacious. So there is this to be glad for. If I hadn’t stepped on that train I’d never have the privilege of knowing Ian. I’d have never met my son.” And in issue #5 Steve thinks, “The boy has such heart. I won’t fail him. Trained to be a warrior. But he is still a child- a child in danger because of me. Bucky, Nomad- all the young men I’ve led to battle- this fear’s not the same. Ian is my son- the urge to defend him drives me with a fury unlike anything I’ve known. He will not die today.”

In issue #6 Steve is upset about all the time and experiences on Earth that he’s lost, but thinks, “A decade, Arnim. You’ve taken that piece of my life- time I’ll never get back. And you can have it- but you can’t have him. You can’t have his future. He’s not yours. He might have your genes but he’s my son. He’s good at heart, and he’s strong- you’ll never corrupt him.” And he thinks, “I’m bringing him to Earth. To the normal life he deserves.” Steve phrases that later in issue #7 as that he’s bringing Ian “Home to his piece of the dream I fought so hard for.”

In issue #6 Steve thinks, after finally finding Zola’s kingdom, “The daily cost of survival here- the constant danger- left me numb- but this horror, piles of casually discarded bodies- draws up dark memories of old wars.” And he thinks, “Earth… a distant memory now. Been here longer than the 21st century waiting for me. This place- it’s become my normal. This is the life I lead now. The world I know.”

In a flashback scene in issue #7 to an earlier peaceful time with Ian, before the boy was captured, Steve says of his own father that “He was crushed by the weight of hard times- but he was a good man” and that “He was drinking, escaping what he saw as a hopeless situation the only way he could. Over time he just… disappeared.” And Steve says he’s realized, “I did disappear. Became a slave to an ideal, disappeared into duty. And instead of abusing those I loved… I was entirely unavailable to them. But that’s done- I’m always going to be here for you, Ian.”

In issue #8 Steve tells his brainwashed son, “Raised you with all the love I had…”

In issue #9 Steve, believing Ian to be dead, thinks, “The portal tears open- revealing the blue skies of home. The blue skies I’ll never show my son. All those broken promises I made. Promises about those skies. A blue the atmosphere here never shows. A color that represented a dream to him. In my paintings of home, those blue skies- Ian would often be lost in them. Dreaming of that other place. That place where he would be safe- for the first time in his life.”

Also, Steve’s parenting is contrasted against Zola’s. For example, in issue #10 Zola tells Jet Black, after previously claiming he did everything for his children, “Now you can die with the rest! So much time wasted on you, my daughter! So many failed opportunities to earn your name! I loved you with all my heart- and you chose to side with my greatest enemy! You chose frailty over power! You chose weakness and compassion over the father who gave you life! The father who offered you a world!” When Steve was about to be killed by Ian in issue #8, after raising the boy for years and teaching him his own morals, as opposed to Zolo’s, Steve said, “You don’t have to be a Zola. You can be my son… Choose a name, son. Choose the one that feels right… I’ll die happy if I know it was your choice… for yourself.”

And at the end of issue #10, of them suddenly finding themselves in New York City, Jet Black tells Steve, “And the portal home destroyed. There is no going back. For better or worse… we are stranded here.” I like how this story plays on Steve’s famous experience of being frozen in ice in the 40s and waking up in a future era.

Captain America (1968) #121-123

These issues were published across October 1969 to December 1969. All were written by Stan Lee, penciled by Gene Colan, and inked by Joe Sinnott. All were 20 pages.

In issue #121 a villain is able to walk up to the Avengers Manor and ask to be put in contact with Captain America because “I would like him to appear at a charity performance… at the orphans’ home!” Hank tells him that Steve’s “never yet turned down a bid to do something for youngsters!” And after Steve is contacted, he says, “It was good to hear from the Avengers! I’m going stir crazy with nothing to do!” This stands out because Steve turned down a civilian job as a physical education teacher at a college in the previous issue.

Steve’s monologued about being a man out of time many times before. There’s a new element in his thought process in issue #122, however, where he thinks, “It isn’t hip- to defend the establishment!- Only to tear it down! And, in a world rife with injustice, greed, and endless war- Who’s to say the rebels are wrong? But, I’ve never learned to play by today’s new rules! I’ve spent a lifetime defending the flag- and the law! Perhaps- I should have battled less- and questioned more! Yet, evil comes in many forms- and it isn’t only the young- and the rebellious- who dare fight it!” In the end he decides, of the establishment that he belongs to, “It was that same establishment that gave them a Martin Luther King- a Tolkien- a Mcluhan- and a couple of brothers- named Kennedy! We don’t claim to be perfect- No generation is! All we can do is learn to live with each other- learn to love one another!”

In issue #123 Nick and his agents are taken over by Suprema, a villain with the power to make men obey her commands. Steve says of being attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D., “It’s as though the whole world has suddenly gone mad! Or can it be- everyone else is okay- and I’ve suddenly cracked up!” Rather than it being that his love for Sharon protected him, as I originally assumed, it’s revealed in the end that Steve’s shield prevented him from being hypnotized. It stands out to me that all of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents present for Steve and Nick’s training session (and so were available to be hypnotized) were men. The agents that are the most prominent to me since I haven’t read much of the S.H.I.E.L.D. focused stories are love interests in other books- Natasha in The Avengers (1963) and Sharon in this one- but I understand that they’re unique cases and the organization is probably predominantly male at this point in time.

#comics read this past week #my posts

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dc-trinity90s · 2 months

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Marvel Tales Of Earth-616 - Bosom Buddies By Patrick Zircher, Udon’s M3th, and Rob Schwager

#marvel comics #cable & deadpool #marvel earth 616

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kudosmyhero · 9 months

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The Brave and the Bold (vol. 3) #16: Tempted

Read Date: April 16, 2023 Cover Date: October 2008 ● Writer: Mark Waid ● Penciler: Scott Kolins ● Inker: Scott Kolins ● Colorist: Rob Schwager ● Letterer: Rob Leigh ● Editor: Joey Cavalieri ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers

Reactions As I Read: ● Superman goes to the GCPD rooftop in answer to the Bat signal. Gordon is surprised, to say the least. ● the two uniformed cops up there with Gordon are star-struck ● Superman hears a millisecond of an alarm, then goes off to find Catwoman breaking into someone’s vault ● she sees his curl of hair, muscles, lips, blue eyes… and apparently falls head over heels ● it took a moment for me to make sense of his x-ray vision. talk about visual overload! either way, Catwoman seems to have given him the slip ● as she makes her escape, Catwoman remarks that “he”—presumably Batman—“never smiles” ● she goes on about Superman… until Superman appears in front of her with an, “I can hear you.” heh.

● Catwoman tells Superman she needed the egg to get into an auction. this picques Superman’s interest, because Batman had mentioned an auction to him ● the big item being sold at auction is, according to Catwoman, “something having to do with Batman, they say. Soething that will put him out of business. It’s a map to some hidden cave just outside the city.” ● this alarms Superman, who flies off, dives to sunken treasure, and returns with a necklace that he says should get them into the auction ● Catwoman uses her knowledge about the auction as leverage to get what she wants out of Superman—in this case, clothes shopping for their disguise ● Selina dresses him basically as Clark Kent ● Superman tries for more—a wig or mustache—to put more distance between the Clark Kent look, but Selina says it would be overkill, but that his nervousness is working for him ● they get to the auction ● item fourteen, a joker card coated with Joker venom, which sells for $10,000 ● the map to the cave comes up as item 20. bidding starts at $1 million ● Superman is worried about the time it’s taking, because the Atlantean necklace they used as buy-in is not designed for open air; it will soon crumble to dust ● someone asks how they know the map is legit; the auctioneer has a sample of the water from the grotto in question. the water gives shapeshifting power to Matthew Hagen, aka Clayface ● security suddenly comes after Superman and Selina for faking their way in ● the room clears when they realize Superman is in their midst ● Catwoman takes off in the confusion with the water and the map ● Superman decides to take a page out of Batman’s book and threaten the auctioneer for info on where the map leads ● the auctioneer doesn’t feel particularly threatened due to Superman’s reputation ● the auctioneer insists he didn’t know how to read the map, and he’s not going to give up info on the seller ● but Superman’s super hearing and vision help him find the seller ● Catwoman gets to the cave and finds 3 “trolls” who have used the Clayface water ● Catwoman has the place rigged to blow to destroy the water supply ● Superman says he doesn’t trust Catwoman, but he trusts Batman, who for some reason seems to trust Catwoman ● they part ways, and we see that Catwoman has kept the small vial of water… at least until Superman zaps it out of existence ● 👏👏👏

Synopsis: {none available… dammit}

(https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/The_Brave_and_the_Bold_Vol_3_16)

Fan Art: Superman Meets Catwoman by D00Mk1tty14

#dc #dc comics #my dc read #podcast recommendation #comics #comic books #fan art #fanart #brave and the bold #podcast - swinging through spider-man #superman #catwoman

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seekfirst-community · 2 years

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Meditation: What can hold us back from doing the will of God? Fear, especially the fear of death and the fear of losing the approval of others, can easily rob us of courage and the will to do what we know is right. Jesus met opposition and the threat of death with grace and determination to accomplish his Father's will. Jesus knew that his mission, his purpose in life, would entail sacrifice and suffering and culminate with death on the cross. But that would not be the end. His "hour" would crush defeat with victory over sin and Satan, condemnation with pardon and freedom, and death with glory and everlasting life.

Jesus offered up his life for us to restore us to friendship with God

He willingly suffered for our sake and embraced the cross to redeem us from sin and to restore us to new life and friendship with God our Father.

Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) wrote:

"Our Lord had the power to lay down his life and to take it up again. But we cannot choose how long we shall live, and death comes to us even against our will. Christ, by dying, has already overcome death. Our freedom from death comes only through his death. To save us Christ had no need of us. Yet without him we can do nothing. He gave himself to us as the vine to the branches; apart from him we cannot live."

No one can be indifferent with Jesus for very long. What he said and did - his miraculous signs and wonders - he did in the name of God. Jesus not only claimed to be the Messiah, God's Anointed One - he claimed to be in a unique relationship of sonship with God the Father and to know him as no one else did. To the Jews this was utter blasphemy. The religious authorities did all they could to put a stop to Jesus because they could not accept his claims and the demands he made.

Jesus alone can set us free from the power of sinful pride, rebellion, and fear

We cannot be indifferent to the claims which Jesus makes on us. We are either for him or against him. There is no middle ground. We can try to mold the Lord Jesus to our own ideas and way of thinking or we can allow his word of truth to free us from our own sinful blindness, stubborn pride, and ignorance. Do you accept all that Jesus has taught and done for you with faith and reverence or with disbelief and contempt? The consequences are enormous, both in this life and in eternity.

"Eternal God, who are the light of the minds that know you, the joy of the hearts that love you, and the strength of the wills that serve you; grant us so to know you, that we may truly love you, and so to love you that we may fully serve you, whom to serve is perfect freedom, in Jesus Christ our Lord."

“set free in the open” (see ps 18:20)

“At this they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a finger on Him because His hour had not yet come.” —John 7:30

Jesus repeatedly took His place publicly amid ferocious opposition and boldly proclaimed the Word of God. “This led some of the people of Jerusalem to remark: ‘Is this not the One they want to kill? Here He is speaking in public and they don’t say a word to Him!’ ” (Jn 7:25-26)

The keys to Jesus’ fearlessness are:

1) His relationship with His Father. Because Jesus knew that the Father loved Him (see Jn 5:20), He had total confidence that His Father would protect Him fully, until His “hour” of suffering arrived (see Jn 7:30; 12:27).

2) His knowledge of being sent by the Father to proclaim God’s Word. Jesus knew that He was supported by the full authority of God the Father (see Mt 28:18; Jn 5:36; 7:16). Because Jesus sought glory for His Father and not for Himself (Jn 7:18), His heart burned with zeal and did not cower out of self-preservation.

3) His love. “Love has no room for fear; rather, perfect love casts out all fear” (1 Jn 4:18).

Jesus said to His apostles, and now says to us: “As the Father has sent Me, so I send You” (Jn 20:21). Let’s confidently take our places in God’s kingdom. God will give us strength even in the sight of our foes (Ps 23:5). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rm 8:31) Like the psalmist, we can say: “They attacked me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord came to my support. He set me free in the open, and rescued me, because He loves me” (Ps 18:19-20).

Prayer: Father, I know fear is useless. Increase my trust in You (Mk 5:36) and take away all my fear.

Promise: “Many are the troubles of the just man, but out of them all the Lord delivers him.” —Ps 34:20

Praise: For years, Dan resented his stern, unloving father. Jesus softened both their hearts and now they have a close relationship.

Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

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